First Day
by aerococonut
Summary: The first day's always the hardest, and Alder was suspiciously vague about what she was supposed to be doing... But the others seem...nice...


**A/N**: Yeah, I know, another one-shot. I can't seem to help myself at the moment. This was just an idea I had concerning Shauntal's first day at the League. It's kind of the same characterization as in_ Exp_, but at the same time it's different. Hopefully it's somewhat interesting. Also, don't be surprised if something similar does end up showing in _Exp,_ since it's similar to the back story I made for Shauntal.

**First Day**

...

The midday sun shone down on her as she walked up to the base of the giant staircase.

_Wow_, she thought, taking in the golden stairs that almost seemed to glow. Alder had told her that the stairs themselves were a challenge, and you had to be fit to get to the top. She cursed momentarily, wishing that her slender frame was better prepared for physical labour. She stared at it for a moment longer, before sighing. _Well, best to just get on with it._ She gritted her teeth and started the long climb.

By the time she reached the top she was exhausted and annoyed. She wished that whichever architect had come up with the idea to build a thousand and one stairs would fall off them and die. Poetic justice. She frowned at herself, realizing that was a little drastic.

A large expanse of empty space -minus the rows of pillars- filled her view. Through the massive pillars in front of her, she could see a kind of courtyard. Alder had promised that he'd send someone to meet her when she got there. She huffed. It was the least he could do; she was the one doing _him_ a favour in joining his group of elite trainers. The Elite Four. Or three, currently. Apparently they hadn't been able to find anyone to replace a member, so Alder had called her up and asked if she wanted to stand in for a while.

She didn't believe her battling skills were _that_ good, but she didn't mind the change of pace. It might be nice to go out and meet new people, she mused, wondering what her colleagues were going to be like. Alder hadn't given her any hints, just telling her to 'wait and see'. She hated surprises, she'd much rather have advance knowledge. Knowledge was power after all.

She reached the entrance to the courtyard, where three trainers waited for her. The other three members of the Elite Four, she presumed.

"Uhh...hi," she mumbled around a suddenly dry throat. She lifted her gaze and studied the people in front of her. The first was a well-muscled man wearing a vest, baggy pants and sparring gloves. The second was a petite woman with exceptionally long blonde hair and a tired expression, her clothes a simple, but well made dress and shawl. And the third...

She shifted her gaze to him and froze.

_Damn._ She didn't think she'd ever seen a more gorgeous man than that one. Elegant suit, feathery dark blue hair and a devilish grin, he screamed sex appeal. She managed to stop herself drooling by pulling her eyes back to the others.

"So, you must be Shauntal, then?" The first man asked, drawing her attention.

"Oh, yeah. Nice to meet you," she said, slightly flustered. He beamed.

"I'm Marshal, and this is Caitlin." He draped an arm over the woman's shoulder.

"Hello Shauntal," she said in an even tone.

"And that's Grimsley." Marshal indicated the third man. Grimsley bowed and smiled at her.

"A pleasure to meet you, Shauntal." His voice was smooth, like velvet. She felt a thrill run through her at the way he said her name. Damn, since when did she fall in lust like that? She'd never cared for men before, now all of a sudden she was riveted by one?

"Right. Uhh, so do I get the grand tour, or something?" She said quickly, distracting herself. "Alder was irritatingly vague about what I was supposed to do when I got here," she clasped her hands behind her back, deliberately avoiding looking to her left.

"The tour sounds like a good idea. Alder didn't really give us instructions either. Just pretty much told us to go say hi." She rolled her eyes. Alder hadn't changed at all.

"That sounds like him. Alright then, where to first?" She directed her question to Marshal, since he seemed to be the one carrying the conversation.

"Um, well we could just do a loop. You can pretty much get anywhere you want to from here. Pokemon League's easy to understand once you get the hang of it." They began heading towards the doors she could see in the next area**.** "Anyways I was thinking we could...whoa!-" He was cut off as she fell forwards into him, her foot catching on a piece of tile sticking. She rebounded off Marshal's bulk and half-twisted around, falling backwards.

She felt her fall arrested by something soft. Fearing the worst, she moved slightly to stare into a pair of bemused, ice blue eyes. She didn't even realize she was staring until he raised an eyebrow.

"Not to be rude, but would you mind getting off me please?"

"Hahaha! I think that's got to be the first time Grimsley's ever said that to a woman!" Marshal called, and she sprung to her feet immediately, feeling her face turn red.

"S-sorry, I'm so sorry!" She bit her lip and avoided their gazes. She heard Marshal laugh from somewhere up ahead.

"Don't worry Shauntal; he's used to having women throw themselves at him." His booming laugh echoed around the courtyard.

"It-it's not like that!" She denied fiercely, placing her hands on her hips. Marshal just laughed and waved her forward.

"Ignore him, please. Marshal cannot help himself; he enjoys sharing whatever nonsense passes through his mind at every turn. It's best if you just tune him out." The two men glared at each other, and she got the feeling that they had a long-standing rivalry. They seemed to be friendly towards each other though.

"So...umm..." she started, wanting to dispel the awkwardness she'd created. "What sort of Pokemon do you raise?" The question was open, but Marshal jumped in immediately.

"Fighting, of course! They're the best type after all, what else would I train?" He punched the air in front of him a couple of times to demonstrate his point. Grimsley coughed behind his hand. Marshal snorted. "Well, they're definitely better than his, anyway!"

"What Pokemon do you raise?" she asked curiously, turning to face him. He tilted his head, a small half-smirk on his lips. The expression was devastatingly handsome, and she wondered idly whether he even realized the effect he was having.

"Dark types." She groaned and swore on the spot that she wouldn't challenge him to a battle. "Is that a problem?" Apparently he'd noticed her disgruntlement. She smiled ruefully and looked back at him.

"No, not at all. Unless of course, you're a Ghost trainer." He grinned.

"I can see why that would be a problem." He laughed, as Caitlin sighed.

"Oh darn. I raise Psychic types. I was tempted to challenge you to a battle, but I really do not wish to be beaten yet again." The corners of her lips turned down.

"You'll probably beat me anyway, I'm not that good a trainer," she shrugged. Training wasn't her strong point; she spent too much time writing for that.

"Alder himself recommended you for the spot. You must be a talented trainer." Grimsley looked at her, his eyebrow raised in slight disbelief at her statement.

"Not really," she disagreed, shrugging her shoulders. "Alder's an old family friend, so when I mentioned that I'd been training lately; he obviously thought that meant I was getting better. It doesn't matter anyway, since I'm only standing in until you find a new member." She made to move forward but Marshal stopped her.

"Wait, what's this about standing in? Aren't you our new member?" She blinked at him.

"Uhh, no. Alder asked me to be a sort of...temporary member. I'm not here to stay." His shoulders slumped, and even the other two looked less than happy.

"Damnit!" Marshal huffed, stomping forward. "That jerk!" Caitlin spoke up.

"He told us you were staying. That's why we were here to meet you. We thought you were actually going to join us, not leave after a short time. Why did you even bother agreeing if you weren't planning on staying?" Even though the words were said calmly, she could hear the bite behind them.

"Alder asked me to do him a favour because he's an old family friend. I'm the only one in my family who is a trainer, so naturally it had to be me. I've never actually wanted to be in the Elite Four, it was never a goal for me. I didn't want to challenge the gyms, or work up to the Championship. I only became a trainer because I found my partner injured years ago, and she never left when she got better. My other Pokemon all kind of joined me; I didn't go seeking them out. I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong idea, but I don't belong here, and I wasn't planning on staying." She took a deep breath, surprised at her tirade. "I can leave now, if you'd rather. I'm sure you all have far more important things to do." She turned around so they couldn't see her unhappiness. What was it about her that made her so unwanted?

"No...wait. We didn't mean it like that," Marshal rested a hand on her shoulder. "We're just...disappointed." She turned back to face them, noting the downcast looks.

"Disappointed over what?" Her voice was too sharp, she realized, but they spoke up before she could apologize.

"We actually liked you. All the others who've applied were either too stuck up, overenthusiastic, or we just hated them." That didn't make much sense to her.

"You've known me for all of what? Fifteen minutes? And you can tell that I'm not any of those things?" She raised an eyebrow haughtily.

"Of course." Caitlin's emotionless tone implied that she was offended by her doubts. "We can tell, Shauntal, who will be the best addition to our group. You are the only one we agreed on. Alder himself said you were the best choice for the spot."

"Alder's also biased." She snorted, crossing her arms.

"That's a pity," Grimsley looked away, sighing.

"Life's full of these little disappointments," she snarled angrily, earning confused looks.

"Hey, no need to be upset. You're still welcome to stay here, and we're sorry if we made you unhappy." Marshal looked contrite, the expression sitting oddly on his face. She shrugged carelessly.

"It's not really your problem. I'm doing Alder a favour. When he wants me gone, I'll go. Otherwise, I guess you're stuck with me." She realized her words were harsh, but it was her defensive shell; she was sick of letting herself be hurt by people she'd trusted. "I can show myself around," she muttered, uncrossing her arms.

"No way. We said we'd show you around and we will. Unless...you'd rather have a battle?" Marshal's face was hopeful, his hand straying to his belt where four pokeballs rested. She thought about it for a moment. Neither of them had a type advantage, so the match would be more even than if she fought either of the others. She still didn't believe she was a great trainer, but she did enjoy battling.

"Alright, I accept." She grabbed the first pokeball in her pocket, her hands playing over the design on the front. Cofagrigus. Each of her Pokemon had a unique ball so she could tell them apart by touch. "Cofagrigus!" The creepy Ghost type burst out of her ball.

"_Ke-ke-ke,"_ she cackled, earning a gasp of surprise from her opponent.

"Wow, that's one evil-looking Pokemon!" Marshal grinned at her, sending out his first Pokemon. She smirked. He had no idea; Cofagrigus was a notorious prankster.

"Let's do it! Throh!" The Fighting Pokemon flexed his arms, before settling into a battle pose. "Use Bulldoze!"

Her Cofagrigus defeated his Throh by a narrow margin, collapsing immediately afterwards to his Sawk. She sent out her Golurk, the big Ground/Ghost getting in a lucky Earthquake and vanquishing his Sawk.

Marshal grunted something and sent out Mienshao, his strongest Pokemon. After a drawn out fight; their Pokemon were almost even in strength due to Golurk's bulk, his Mienshao succeeded in taking out her Golurk with a particularly strong Hi Jump Kick that the monolithic Ghost hadn't been able to dodge in time. She claimed it was because Golurk had already been weakened by Sawk and sent out Jellicent.

The Water/Ghost type fought valiantly, but still fell to his Mienshao.

Starting to get nervous, she ignored the fact that he had two Pokemon left and sent out her last Pokemon. Her beloved Chandelure burst out eagerly from her ball, chiming happily.

"We can do this," she said firmly, waving her forwards. A long partnership had given them a very close bond. She didn't even need to give her Pokemon directions anymore; Chandelure knew her heart and mind as well as she did.

Chandelure used Fire Blast, taking out his weakened Mienshao with ease. _Good girl,_ she thought silently, hearing her Pokemon give her version of a laugh in delight.

"Wow!" Marshal grinned, sending out his last Pokemon: Conkeldurr. She studied the heavy-looking Pokemon, wondering if it was as fast as her partner. "Use Hammer Arm!" he commanded, flinging his arm towards her Pokemon. Chandelure shot up immediately, the Fighting Pokemon missing by a mile. Chandelure floated behind him and shot an Energy Ball, catching the Pokemon square in the back and causing a fair amount of damage. "Nice one!" Marshal complimented from his side of the field, and she smirked softly.

Conkeldurr used Stone Edge, and she flinched as Chandelure dodged it narrowly.

_Careful,_ she reprimanded. The Ghost/Fire chimed in irritation and used Fire Blast again, the attack hitting the pillar behind Conkeldurr as the other Pokemon dodged at the last second. Chandelure took this as a personal insult and sent another Fire Blast straight at her opponent. Conkeldurr was unable to dodge it, and took the full force of the move.

The Fighting Pokemon struggled to his feet. She studied the match, seeing the opening she'd been looking for. _Go left, Inferno._ Chandelure zoomed to the left, the devastating Fire move charging. Marshal had enough time to yell 'Dodge!' before Chandelure unleashed her attack.

Conkeldurr collapsed to the ground in a dead faint, making her the winner. "Good job," she whispered, as she recalled her partner to her ball.

"That was awesome!" Marshal clapped her on the back, almost knocking her over. "Damn you're really good! And your Chandelure...you didn't even give out a single command! That was amazing!" She looked up at him, surprised by the praise.

"Well, she's my partner. She knows what I'm thinking; saying it out loud just wastes time. Anyways, I was sure you were going to win for a while there, your Pokemon are very good too." She smiled, the battle having put her in a better mood.

Grimsley applauded from the side where he and Caitlin had been watching.

"It's always good to see Marshal lose," he laughed, earning a glare from Marshal as he and Caitlin walked over to them. "It was an excellent fight on both sides though. You do belong here," he said reassuringly, commenting on her words from before. She looked down, still doubting that.

"It was a fun battle," she told Marshal. He beamed and held his hand up for a hi-five. She obliged, giggling.

"Here's to Shauntal!" He pretended to hold up a drink in a toast. "Our newest Elite Four member!" She stopped and stared at him.

"Uhh...no, I'm not staying remember?" He waved her off, the other two smirking in the background.

"You are now. We won't accept anyone else. You're stuck here. We're telling Alder you are the only person who qualifies for the job." She laughed helplessly at his exuberance as they walked over to a figure standing at the entrance to the main hall.

Alder grinned at her, leaning against one of the pillars.

"Hey Shaunie girl, have fun?" he asked innocently. She rolled her eyes and glared at him.

"Oh yeah, heaps. Care to explain why they all thought I was staying here permanently?" He had the grace to look sheepish. Ignoring her question though, he turned to the others.

"So what do you think? I told you she was perfect!" He laughed when they all nodded.

"Definitely. We're keeping her," Caitlin said, a slight smile on her face.

"I refuse to accept anyone else," Grimsley agreed. Marshal punched the air.

"Shauntal's our newest Elitist!" Her jaw dropped as a sudden realization struck her.

"You...you set this whole thing up!" She accused Alder, who had a huge grin on her face.

"Of course," he said easily. She opened her mouth to complain and shut it again.

Her mind came up with a list of reasons why she should reject the offer, but she found herself focussing more on reasons why she could stay. The others seemed like a lot of fun, she could see Alder more often, train her Pokemon better...maybe get to know a certain Elite better!

Perhaps staying here permanently wouldn't be so bad...

"Alright. I accept!" She placed her hands on her hips and laughed as the others looked at her. Alder snickered to himself.

"That's my girl. We'll set your room up later. For now, you can just wander around if you want, finish your tour." She nodded. "Marshal, want to train with me?" he asked, earning an eager 'Yes!' Caitlin turned to her and smiled.

"I'll be in my room if you want to come in," she offered. She nodded and said she would at some point, as Alder and Marshal went to leave.

"You owe me big," she called threateningly after him. He just waved dismissively, telling her to have fun as the three left.

"Well then," Grimsley said suddenly, immediately drawing her attention. Without the others to distract her, she couldn't tear her eyes away from him. "Is there anything I could help you with?" Was it just her imagination, or was there a double meaning to that question?

"Dinner sounds good." Now that she thought about it, she was really hungry. His lips pulled up in a smirk, the expression drop dead sexy.

"I know a lovely little restaurant nearby..." He stepped closer, his gaze trapping hers.

"Sounds great," she managed to say, before his arm linked around hers, pulling her against him.

"Excellent," he purred in her ear. She couldn't help shivering as they started walking away.

Staying sounded like a _great_ idea.

...

I swear, the next thing I upload will be the next chapter for _Exp. _If not...feel free to shoot me. Beta'd by the ever so awesome Sweet but Psycho.

-Aerococonut


End file.
